The Cost of Greatness: Why We Misunderstand the Space Industry
2024.02.02.
During a casual coffee with a friend, my recent certification as a space policy advisor came up. After a few light-hearted comments, the conversation shifted to what I plan to do with this qualification—how I might become part of the space industry. I listed various possibilities: geolocation-based services, specialized legal services, technological consulting, space-specific PR and marketing. To which my friend responded, "Those don’t sound like space industry things to me. Space industry technologies and services are fields that are unreachable for the average person..."
I understand his perspective; not too long ago, I thought the same way. But why do we immediately think of aliens and rockets when we hear the word "space"?
The average Hungarian’s perception of space and the space industry has been shaped by a mix of cultural influences—from media and education to perhaps even our national historical heritage (a small and often defeated nation, as our national anthem suggests) and, of course, popular culture. These influences collectively contribute to the notion that the space industry is primarily about launching rockets and operating space stations.
I’ve compiled a few cultural influences that shape our understanding and considered why they reinforce this stereotype:
1. Historical Milestones
The historical milestones of space exploration, such as the launch of the first human-made satellite (Sputnik-1, 1957), the first human on the Moon (Apollo 11 mission, 1969), or the first Hungarian in space (Bertalan Farkas, Soyuz-36, 1980), received significant public attention and left a deep imprint on the collective memory. These events remain with us today—they’re featured on objects, clothing, and in movies. Just think of Elon Musk’s global success with SpaceX rockets or the idea of traveling to Mars and the surrounding media blitz. These are all grand, high-budget ventures, primarily focused on launching rockets and human presence in space, which fundamentally shape our perception of the space industry.
2. Popular Culture
Movies, TV shows, and books depicting space exploration and the space industry often emphasize spectacular space travel, the heroic struggles of astronauts, spacecraft, and space stations. Films like "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Star Wars," or "Gravity," and increasingly popular series like "Star Trek," greatly influence our view of the space industry, almost always highlighting the most visually stunning aspects. It’s rare to see a film related to the space industry where supporting fields play a role, especially where they take center stage. One pleasant exception is the movie "Hidden Figures" (2017), but even in this film, the backdrop is NASA and rocket launches.
3. National Pride and Competition
The space race, particularly the Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, greatly influenced how the space industry is perceived. In the past decade, China’s space program has significantly accelerated with missions like the Chang’e lunar expeditions and the Tiangong space station. India has also made its mark in space industry history: in August 2023, it became the fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon and the first to land at the lunar south pole.
The space race focuses on the most spectacular areas of the space industry—like the Moon landing and space stations—which serve as demonstrations of national pride and technological superiority. From its inception, space exploration has been a tool of political propaganda. Every government needs activities that produce spectacular results to justify its importance, and thus, these grand achievements dominate related communication.
There’s much less talk about domestically developed technological tools like Pille or Masat-1. If these accomplishments aren’t present in public discourse, how can the average person recognize that a small country like ours has made significant contributions?
4. News and Current Events
News related to space exploration often focuses on new rocket launches and research conducted on space stations, which are visually appealing and easy to communicate. Since 2010, there has been increasing news coverage on the development of commercial spaceflight. Significant advancements have been made in commercial space travel during this decade. Companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic have revolutionized space travel, including private spacecraft and reusable rockets. SpaceX has been particularly outstanding, becoming the first private company in 2012 to successfully send cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) and drastically reducing the cost of reaching space with its innovations.
5. Education
Educational systems often focus on the most significant space exploration achievements and missions, typically involving rocket launches and activities related to space stations. While this provides essential knowledge about the space industry, it places less emphasis on the everyday technological breakthroughs and applications that are also outcomes of the space industry. A good example to mention here is Hungary's UniSpace program, where 17 Hungarian universities have formed a consortium to offer four independent but coordinated and integrated space science specialization programs. Speaking from personal experience, the holistic approach of this program inspired me to engage more deeply with the topic.
These cultural influences collectively contribute to the notion that the space industry is mainly associated with grand, unreachable, transnational projects—rocket launches, space stations, etc. To help society form a more comprehensive view of the space industry and its significance, it’s essential to broaden the presentation and understanding of smaller, less visible projects, everyday technological breakthroughs, and space industry innovations.
This way, more people might feel they have a stake or a role to play in this burgeoning industry.
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The article was translated from Hungarian to English by ChatGPT. Thank you, ChatGPT, for being here.
